Lighthouse is a 48-bed hostel in a restored 1902 merchant's house in the Miragaia neighbourhood of Porto. We have seven dorms, six private rooms, a stone-walled kitchen where we cook breakfast every morning, a tiny courtyard with a lemon tree, and a cat called Figo who has been here longer than any of us.
We opened Lighthouse in March 2019. Catarina Lapa (my wife) and I (Rui Amaral) had just come back from three years of running a 16-bed hostel in Lagos, which we sold to fund this place. We found the building on a Tuesday, put an offer in on Friday, and spent 11 months stripping wallpaper, restoring the azulejos on the staircase, and arguing about what colour the shutters should be (we settled on dark green).
The house is two floors, originally a merchant's home from 1902. We kept every original feature we could — the oak floors, the cast-iron balconies, the hand-painted tiles in the kitchen. We added the beds, the bathrooms, WiFi, and a rooftop terrace with a view of the Douro. That's it.
Every room has its own bathroom. Every bed has a reading light, a USB-C plug, a locker under it, and a blackout curtain you can draw around the bunk. Sheets and towels are included, always.
Our largest dorm, on the second floor, facing the courtyard. Four bunks with privacy curtains, big lockers, ensuite with two showers. Quietest dorm in the house because of the courtyard walls.
A four-bed female-only dorm with its own small balcony on the back. Original oak floors, two single beds and one bunk, a full-length mirror (rare in hostels). Our most-booked room three years running.
A private double room on the third floor with a tiny balcony overlooking the Douro river. Queen bed, desk, small wardrobe, ensuite with tub. Breakfast for two included. Our honeymoon room when people ask (we don't advertise it).
◦ 10 other rooms: 6-bed mixed · 6-bed female · two 4-bed mixed · twin private · triple private · two single privates · full list and live rates at booking step
Elder cooks every morning. Eggs any way, Portuguese bread (pão alentejano), house-made granola, fresh orange juice, coffee from Combi Coffee up the road. €6 if you didn't book in, free if you did. Open to hostel guests only.
€9 a head, limit 16 seats. Catarina's grandmother's francesinha on Fridays (it's good, really). On Tuesdays it rotates: bacalhau à brás, arroz de pato, or something vegetarian if the group is. Sign up on the kitchen board by 4pm.
Free for guests, meet at the front door. A 2.5-hour loop through Miragaia, Ribeira, and up to Clérigos. Led by Rui or Beatriz (our local history student receptionist). Limited to 12 people, sign up the day before.
We unlock the rooftop terrace at 6pm every day. BYO wine (there's a fridge), or buy a bottle of Casal Garcia from reception for €7. Best sunset view in the hostel. Closes at 11pm because our neighbours sleep.
Catarina's brother runs a port cellar across the river. He brings three bottles over on Sundays, we open them in the kitchen, €12 a head, 20 seats. Book at reception. Sells out most weeks in summer.
Figo has been here since 2019. He's 9. He sleeps in the green armchair 14 hours a day, patrols the courtyard at dawn, and has strong opinions about who gets the sunny spot on the windowsill. He is not available for adoption; please stop asking.
We're in Miragaia, a small residential neighbourhood tucked between the Douro river and the bigger tourist areas of Porto. Four minutes' walk to São Bento train station. Eight minutes to Ribeira. Ten to Livraria Lello (the bookshop). Twenty-two minutes to Casa da Música on the metro.
"Best hostel I've stayed at in 42 countries. Elder's breakfast is worth the flight. Figo slept on my backpack for an hour."
"Catarina remembered my name on day three. The family dinner was €9 of the best food I've eaten in Europe. The 8-bed dorm was quieter than most hotels."
"I came for 2 nights and stayed 11. The rooftop sunset made me miss three buses. Rui's walking tour was the best thing I did in Portugal."
"Solo female traveller. The female-only dorm felt genuinely safe — curtains, real lockers, and reception actually checks. I never felt that in eight other hostels on my Europe trip."
Check-in from 2pm, check-out by 11am. Early arrival: leave your bags in our secure bag room (free, tagged, 24/7 access). Late arrival: we staff reception until 1am — after that, the night desk handles it, but please message ahead on WhatsApp so we know you're coming.
No curfew, no lockout, ever. You get a keycard that works 24/7 on the front door and your floor. Rooftop terrace locks at 11pm because the neighbours have small children and kind hearts.
Every dorm bed has its own locker (long enough for a 40L backpack, combination lock). The front door is keycard-only 10pm–8am. One of us sleeps on-site every night. We've had 2 reports of missing items in 7 years — one turned up in a washing machine.
Yes. We have two washers and two dryers on the ground floor. €4 per load (wash + dry). Detergent included. Not coin-op — you pay at reception. Or use Lavandaria Moderna three doors down; they'll do a full service load for €9.
Metro line E from OPO airport to Trindade (35 min, €2.60), then change to line D to São Bento (3 min, same ticket). Walk 4 min uphill. Total: 45 minutes, €2.60. A taxi is €22–28 and takes 25 minutes. Don't take an Uber from the airport; they're gouging in 2026.
Free cancellation until 48 hours before check-in. After that, first night is charged. We don't charge for late check-in or last-minute shuffles between dates; email us (hello@tilkly.com) and we'll work it out. We are humans, not an algorithm.